The Bed's Too Big Without You
by Rexrayy
Summary: Short piece inspired by beds being too big. Gajevy.


Inspired by a "Radiohead Meets The Police - Live Looping Mashup by Elise Trouw"

( watch?v=u9lAIvLosyg)

Look it up on YouTube, maybe drink a beer, then read this.

Rain pattered against the window softly outside. What once was a lullaby was now an annoying clatter while Gajeel tried to sleep. He growled and turned over, pushing his face deeply into his pillow.

Despite his extra sharp hearing, Gajeel had never minded the rain. Its soft consistency always seemed to soothe him, a calming white noise in a world of chaos. But tonight, the drips outside his window seemed to pierce his ears and disturbed his slumber. Or at least, that was what he was blaming for his lack of sleep.

With a frown he flipped over once more, staring at his ceiling. Once again, the darkness had never bothered him before and he enjoyed the dark gray tone of his ceiling. But for whatever reason, tonight the gloom seemed particularly annoying, only provoking him to growl further as his brows shoved downward in a wicked frown.

Normally, when Gajeel was deeply frustrated, he would hit the nearest bar and down several pints to numb his senses with a bubbly fog. The alcohol always helped to soothe his nerves. Or he would hit up a certain blue-haired bookworm and …

No. Not tonight. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped his blanket in a tight grasp. The fabric tore slightly with the force. No, he wouldn't let his mind wander there tonight. That was no longer an option and damn him if he wasn't perfectly fine without it.

His teeth grit as he thought about her. Fuck her and her big, hazel eyes. Her soft blue curls, as they bounced against her cheeks. Soft, pale skin, dusted in freckles across the bridge of her nose…

Gajeel let himself form an image of her before shoving it into the furthest recesses of his mind. He reminded himself that he was a fierce dragon slayer and didn't need anyone else but himself. He pulled the blanket tightly against himself, but noticed how it pulled short over his legs, almost as if it had been picked out by someone smaller than himself.

The pronounced chill on his legs wouldn't let him think about anything else and he glanced downwards. For some reason, the edges of his bed seemed to loom in the distance. He realized, maybe for the first time ever, quite how large his bed was. It was an extra extra large king size, or something, and he had always wanted to have a large bed due to his somewhat larger than average stature. He thought back to when he got this particular bed…

"And the mattress I have now isn't good enough because?!" Gajeel questioned in outrage, arms folded across his broad chest in a defiant manner. He had always been used to caring for himself, and as long as a bed did its job and supported him through the night, what else mattered?

The annoyingly smart fairy next to him seemed to have another opinion entirely.

"Gajeel!" She groaned, frowning and folding her arms across her, noticeably smaller, chest and mimicking his stance.

"Your bed is literally a pile of rags on your floor. It's more of a nest than a bed! How do you expect me to feel comfortable enough to sleep on it with you?!"

The larger man felt his cheeks flushing at the thought of her sleeping next to him. He realized that he had never quite considered that to be a long term possibility.

"I slept there last time to be polite, Gajeel, but I refuse to sleep on dirty rags again when I stay over at your place."

He noticed with distinct clarity that she had said 'when' instead of 'if.' His eyes widened slightly at the implications.

"I would greatly prefer it if you would consider getting a new bed," she sighed, moving her hands to her hips. "That's why we're currently bed shopping, if you hadn't noticed. And don't worry," she said, looking at him with a slight glare, "I promise I'll go halfsies with you on the cost."

"Tch," Gajeel grunted, turning his head to the side and glaring at the wall instead of her. "I wanted a new bed anyways. And I would never make you pay for it, shorty."

He turned back to her with a glint in his eyes.

"If you truly insist, I accept alternative forms of payment."

"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed as she slapped his arm. "You are hopeless! You manage to sour any conversation!"

"Gihi!" Gajeel laughed. He knew his bookworm was smart enough to understand what he meant, and despite her protests, he was willing to wager he'd be in for some treats later if he did go through with buying a new bed.

"Alright, alright. Let's find that new bed, shall we?" He said, while rubbing her head in the precise way he knew would annoy her, by mussing up her hair. She pouted, but it seemed half-hearted as her pout turned upwards into a smile.

"Where do we even begin?" He muttered, looking about the massive warehouse that seemed to sell anything from shelving and plants, to toilets and bidets.

Levy pointed quickly in one direction, having done her research. Trusting her, he nodded, and followed her lead. It took them hours, but after much squabbling and several honorable (at least he thought so) jabs, they picked out an extra, extra large king size mattress and a sturdy pine frame to support it. They both agreed that the bigger the bed, the better, what with both Gajeel's massive frame and her additional presence to consider. He also argued that they needed one additional size up to account for her tendency to spread out in her sleep and steal all the blankets, despite her vehement arguments to the contrary.

Gajeel now glanced back at the edges of the bed, towering in the distance. The bed was so large that despite his monstrous size, he could lay on it spread eagle and still not touch the edges. At one time, this amount of freedom had felt luxurious.

Now, it felt imposing. And empty. He tried to reach the edge of the bed with his left arm, but he couldn't.

His feet couldn't feel the bottom. He flopped out, hands reaching to both sides. All he felt was an endless expanse of loneliness. The bed was too big with one person.

His traitorous mind thought back to the bright light that used to share this bed with him.

He recalled the fight that drove her away.

He thought about his own stubborn nature that kept her away.

He gritted his teeth and felt the hollowness seep through him.

_The bed's too big without you_, he thought.

And he closed his eyes as he realized just how alone he was.


End file.
